The Rising: Part 2
by ali09
Summary: Sanctuary is complete and the Dominion wants Chloe to mobilize her team. Chloe is reluctant to send her team out without a fourth member, until she finds a young girl on the streets with the ability to manipulate light and in dire need of help.
1. Prologue

**I'm back! Hey lovelies! This is part 2 of 3 of the trilogy, _The Rising_****If you haven't read the first one, you might enjoy this one more if you read it first. It's called _The Rising: Part 1. _If you have read it, you're all set to go, so please read and enjoy and let me know your enjoyment by REVIEWING! thanks much all! 3 ali **

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Prologue_

The night was one of the darkest Chloe had ever seen. Invisible clouds blanketed the stars and the moon was hidden from view. The feral crept across building tops above the quiet city. She was meeting a member of the Dominion – the place that owned her.

It hadn't always been like that. Chloe had been free, at least during the time she was with Michael and the rest of her old mutant team. They had been killed by her old captor – Morgenstein, creator of Genomex. Chloe had escaped – only to find herself in the hands of the Dominion. So, now she had a new team, and she liked them well enough – not that it mattered.

Taylor March was nineteen years old and an ice elemental. Even though Chloe had only known her for a few months, Taylor was constantly looking for her acceptance. She admired Chloe, and Chloe hated it. Before everything had happened, she would have been pleased to have such a sweet girl look to her for guidance, but now…well Chloe would never wish her hell on anyone.

Scott Harding was an adorable eighteen year old telekinetic. He was extremely good with electronics, and very soft spoken. Scott had a quiet confidence about him that Chloe liked.

That left Adam Kane, the thirty-something doe-eyed idealist that the Dominion insisted she take along for the ride. Chloe knew that he couldn't keep up his happy-go-lucky-I'm-going-to-save-all-the-mutants shtick forever. The Dominion would drive it from him.

At this thought, Chloe sighed and clucked her tongue. It was upsetting really, but that's life. She lowered herself down the fire escape into a dark alley. Her contact was supposed to meet her there. A long black car drove up to the entrance of the alley and a bulky man with a dark brown beard got out and approached her.

"Ms. Anderson," he greeted.

"Mr. Mysterious," she returned, putting her hands on her hips. "What can I do for you?"

"Now that "Sanctuary" is complete it is time to mobilize your team."

"My team is not trained and is incomplete," Chloe reminded him.

"You will have to find this fourth mutant you desire yourself," he told her. "As for your team's lack of training – well, that's also your job."

Chloe rolled her eyes with a sigh.

The bearded man took an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to her. "This will establish a direct link with the Dominion from Sanctuary. I'm sure your computer kid can figure it out."

"Yes, I'll give it to Scott," Chloe took the envelope from him and stuffed it in her jacket pocket. The cool winter night air was beginning to make her shiver. "Will that be all?"

"Yes, that is all." The man returned to his vehicle and disappeared.

Chloe turned to start her journey back to Sanctuary. Suddenly, she felt another's presence – a familiar presence. She stealthily moved deeper into the blackness, her orange cat eyes covering the ocean blue of her normal eyes. She saw him – yes, definitely a him – in the corner of the alley. With ease, she streaked towards the figure and pinned his gigantic body to the wall.

With a low growl, she threatened, "you better be careful with whose conversations you choose to listen in on."

To her surprise, the man began to laugh. "Chloe, it's me. Nick."

She stepped back in shock, releasing him from the wall. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you again," Nick stepped forward and laced their fingers together, drawing their bodies close.

"Nick, I don't want you involved in my life," Chloe protested, but was drawn closer by the warmth of his body.

"Chloe, we had something at Genomex."

"What we had was feral attraction," she disagreed fiercely.

"So, you are a feral then?" Nick grinned.

"Obviously," she spat. "Nick. We cannot be together. This is black and white."

He tucked his arms around her waist, pressing her against his chest. "Don't you feel it Chloe?"

She did feel it. Her body was trembling and her heart was pounding out of her chest. She felt an aching deep inside. She wanted him so badly it hurt. That's why she was so angry. She didn't want to feel anything. She knew what happened when you became attached to people. She felt the pain every day. Chloe refused to give into that again.

Just as she ripped herself away from Nick, his lips descended upon hers. They shared a rough, passionate kiss for a few brief moments before Chloe fled for good.

"I'll find you Chloe, damn it, I'll find you," Nick shouted after her.

A few blocks down, Chloe huddled against a wall on a lonely rooftop. Her salty tears froze on her cheeks courtesy of the chilling winter wind. She couldn't stop trembling. She had to pull herself together.

"Stop feeling this way," Chloe chided herself. "Stop. Nothing affects you."

With a final shaky sigh, Chloe hoisted herself up and boarded the Double Helix, Sanctuary's new plane, for her journey back.


	2. Chapter 1

**My goodness! It's an update! Please read and review. I actually have a lot of this story written...mostly about Lexa and Adam and how they came to be like they are...so on with the story!**

_Chapter 1_

"Good morning angel." She felt a slight pressure on her shoulder as Adam passed behind her. The nickname was a joke that he didn't fully understand. "Everything go well last night?"

Chloe nodded slightly without moving her eyes from the computer.

"Still looking for our fourth mutant?" he questioned, pausing at the door.

"I've been looking for the past three months, ever since we established our link with the Dominion. And I haven't felt it yet."

"I know," Adam looked at her sympathetically.

"I'm going to get out of here for awhile – go into the city," Chloe stood to grab her keys. "I'll be back…eventually."

He nodded and watched her as she headed for the garage. Chloe surprised him every day. He knew she had an unspeakable background but he'd figured that she would learn to be herself again – since she was in a different environment than Genomex. Some days, he swore he was seeing Chloe, after she ran off she would return with a fiery sparkle in her eyes. But most of the time, her eyes were blank, icy blue orbs. His bond with Chloe had hit a plateau – it seemed like she chose to hold everyone at arms length, and nothing seemed to be changing.

Quick footsteps broke Adam out of his reverie. He turned to look at a concerned Taylor. "Chloe left again, didn't she." The teenager worshipped Chloe, even though Chloe tried her best to ignore her. Whenever Chloe disappeared for a week or two, it was Taylor who couldn't sleep at night worrying about her.

"Taylor, Chloe is never going to care about anyone but herself ever again. She's strong, she can protect herself," Adam said gently.

"That's just it. I know she can protect herself, but sometimes I don't think she wants to."

* * *

"I wish you would stay with me forever," Nick drew lazy circles on Chloe's bare stomach. He felt her stiffen and rolled his eyes. "I know we've had this discussion a thousand times – or at least tried to have this discussion. I'm going to keep bringing it up until we at least discuss it."

Chloe turned away from him, tucking her naked body under the sheets.

"You have so many demons Chloe, but you don't have to hold onto those anymore. We can be there for each other."

Chloe stared out the window, unresponsive.

Nick dragged a finger across her back, and then ran his fingers through her silky hair. "What happened to you?" He whispered.

She knew he could never understand her hell. She wanted to push forward with her life. Trust in others again. Love. Be happy. But as far as she was concerned it was an impossibility.

Nick rolled his eyes and huffed in frustration. "Why can't you tell me about your past?"

Chloe forced herself to remain calm. "I'm trying to move on with my life Nick. This is not something I want to remember anymore."

"You can't bury something that defines you," Nick replied.

Chloe tried to ignore his words, but they echoed through her mind, hitting home.

* * *

It was still chilly though the winter months were almost through. Chloe pulled her leather trench tightly around her body and stomped through the slushy city streets. It was one of the few times she would be return to Sanctuary as she left – sad, to put it simply. She and Nick's conversation regarding their future had gone further than it ever had previously. Chloe knew what she wanted to have with Nick, but she didn't know what she actually could give him.

A flash of light startled Chloe from her reverie. The feral was immediately on edge. Chloe followed a rustling into the alleyway, but there was no one there. She saw another spark out of the corner of her eye and was convinced she wasn't alone. Her tawny feral eyes covered her sapphire ones. She peered around the alley, seeking heat with her eyes. There she was, crouched in a corner, shivering to death.

"Hi honey. I can see you. I'm the same as you," Chloe spoke softly, approaching the girl. "Let me help you."

Suddenly, the girl was standing eye to eye with her. As their matching eyes connected, there was a spark of electricity between the two of them. They understood the cruelties of the world, and the pain. They had lived it.

Chloe knew she had found their fourth.

* * *

"Chloe, are you sure about this?" Adam watched the teenager be scanned by the computer. "She's so young."

"She's seen more pain already than you ever will," Chloe replied. Adam noticed a slight crack in her voice. He understood why she was so adamant about keeping this girl around.

The tests were complete and Chloe disappeared instantly from his side. His chest immediately tightened and jealously ripped through his stomach. Adam never thought that Chloe would find a fourth, nor did he think he would feel this way about it. Already this girl had a closer emotional connection with Chloe than he or any of the team members had. He watched the teenager for another moment, before letting them make introductions in private.

Chloe entered the lab quietly, gliding over to the newest member of the team. The teenager shot an angry glare at Chloe over her shoulder and spat, "What the hell is going on?"

Unperturbed, Chloe responded, "I don't think we were properly introduced. My name is Chloe Anderson. This is where I live, Sanctuary."

The girl gave her the once over before saying, "I'm Lexa Pierce. You said you were like me."

"I am a mutant." I'm a feral. My DNA is mixed with a cat's," Chloe explained.

"I can manipulate light, what does that make me?" Lexa questioned.

"A light molecular," Chloe answered.

Lexa nodded. "Do other people live her too?"

"Three others. We work together. You'll meet the others later. Look, the reason I brought you here is because I would like you to join us. You would live here with us, and join us for missions –"

Lexa jumped in. "Look, I'll join your team on one condition. You help me find my brother."

Chloe looked startled for a moment, "What happened to your brother?"

Lexa choked back a sob. "He's a shape-shifter. He disappeared. I've been looking for him for weeks!"

Chloe gently placed her hand on Lexa's and gave it a tight squeeze. "I'm sure we can help you. Come on, I'll show you around."

* * *

"What's going on?" Scott asked as Adam entered the kitchen.

"Uh, Chloe brought back the last member of our team," Adam confessed.

"Really?" Scott was incredulous. "They must be something, for Chloe to bring them back. I always figured you would end up choosing someone because Chloe was so picky."

"What do you mean?"' Taylor took another spoonful of Jello.

"Chloe seemed to have a connection with this girl. Like she saw herself in her," Adam said with envy.

Taylor frowned, a little angry at the idea of a mini-Chloe becoming close with her idol. Just then, Chloe strolled into the kitchen, followed by a teenage girl, gorgeous black hair tumbling down her shoulders and cold crystal blue eyes.

"Hey all, this is our fourth. Lexa Pierce, she's a light molecular," Chloe introduced. "That's Taylor, she's an ice elemental. Scott is a telekinetic psyonic and Adam is….human."

"Thanks Chlo," Adam rolled his eyes.

"Pleasure," Chloe smirked.

"So, Lexa, where did you come from?" Scott asked.

Lexa looked down, embarrassed. Chloe nudged her and said, "It's okay. I kidnapped Taylor and Scott from mutant prison." Taylor almost giggled at the utter confusion on Lexa's face, but the teenager managed to stammer, "I've been living on the streets."

"Been there, done that," Scott replied.

Lexa looked mildly appreciative of the psyonic's comment. "Here Lexa, sit next to me and have a bite to eat," Scott scooted over on the seat to give Lexa room. She sat timidly and only looked slightly uncomfortable as Scott teased her playfully. Taylor and Adam instead watched Chloe as she smiled one last time at Lexa before slipping away, no doubt making her way to her office. Adam and Taylor exchanged frowns. The elemental glared coldly at Lexa, causing the room to drop a few degrees in temperature – not once had Chloe ever smiled at her like that. She already hated this girl.

Meanwhile, Chloe entered her office. She flipped off her shoes and collapsed into her chair. Within a few seconds, Chloe's Dominion informant appeared on her monitor.

"Please tell me you have good news," the bearded man greeted.

"Hello to you too," Chloe spun in the chair.

The man rolled his eyes. "Chloe."

"I found our fourth member. Her name is Lexa Pierce. She can control light…she's fourteen years old," Chloe grimaced.

The bearded man sighed. "That's young. Are you sure she's not going to be a liability?"

"I'm positive," Chloe nodded.

"Okay, I trust your judgment," he agreed. "I'm going to send you the logistics of your first mission. You know Mason Eckhart?"

"Um, of course I know Mason Eckhart," Chloe retorted.

"Yeah, well, Genomex is growing too rapidly for our liking. We want you to shut them down. Permanently."


	3. Chapter 2

**Be shocked! I updated! I actually have a couple more chapters written that I will put up once I figure out exactly where I'm going with this. I do want to finish the whole trilogy - although who knows how long that will take! Enjoy! -Ali**

**_Chapter 2_**

"She's so closed up, but I know she's vulnerable underneath her walls." Nick smiled as he watched Chloe talk about the teenager she found.

"Well, have you found out why she's got so many walls?'

Chloe was quiet for a moment. "I don't actually know. All she's ever said was that her brother is missing. I suppose that might have something to do with it. I told her I'd help her find him."

"I'll keep an eye out for him too," Nick promised.

Chloe giggled softly. "I think that will be a little difficult. Her brother is a shape-shifter. He could look like anyone."

"So basically a mutant with multiple personality disorder," Nick replied.

"Yeah, that's a good way to put it. Instead of all the personalities just changing his voice, he can change his appearance too," Chloe said thoughtfully.

"How's she fitting in with the rest of the team?" Nick asked.

Chloe rolled over and snuggled up against his chest. She frowned slightly. "Her dynamic with them is…interesting."

Nick chuckled. "What exactly is interesting?"

Chloe grimaced. "Well…."

* * *

Laughter filled Sanctuary as Taylor and Scott spared in the living room. Lexa knew that about five minutes earlier the two had been playing Scrabble. If there was one thing she had learned in her two days at Sanctuary, it was the elemental and psyonic could turn anything into a contact sport.

Lexa liked the two well enough, but she didn't feel like she had anything in common with them. The two of them were years older than her and Lexa felt like she had so many more life experiences than them. Lexa scolded herself for being so quick to judge. Chloe had said she had taken Taylor and Scott from mutant prison, so maybe both of them had a harder life than she thought.

The molecular crept past the two playful mutants and turned the corner to see what Adam was up to. The scientist was in the lab, engrossed in his work. Even without going invisible, Lexa was good at sneaking around. Adam didn't notice the teenager enter the room.

"Adam?" Lexa tapped him on the shoulder.

He jumped about 10 feet in the air and let out a little yelp. "Oh Lexa, hi." He placed a hand on her shoulder and breathed a heavy sigh.

"A little distracted?" Lexa smiled slightly.

"Yeah," he offered her a smile.

"What are you working on, if you don't mind my asking?" Lexa peered over his shoulder curiously.

"Actually," Adam shut off the computer screen. "I would rather not talk about it." Lexa looked like she had been slapped. "I mean, I don't really like to talk about my work when it's still in-progress."

"Okay, whatever," Lexa took a step back. "Chloe asked me to talk to you about finding my brother."

"What about it? Chloe is the leader of the group and has the connections," Adam raised his eyebrow.

"Well, since she's with Nick, I think she just wanted you to do a search for him," Lexa frowned at Adam's abrasiveness.

Adam looked at her closely, "Who's Nick?"

Lexa immediately shut her mouth.

"Lexa, who's Nick?" Adam repeated a little more forcibly.

Lexa maintained eye contact with the older man. She had greatly misinterpreted Chloe's relationship with the rest of the team. She had to get herself out of this without revealing anymore information about Chloe.

"I don't know," Lexa mentally slapped herself. Like genius Adam Kane would buy that one.

Adam frowned and raised an eyebrow. "You don't know?"

Lexa winced. "I don't want to say?" She tried.

Adam nodded shortly and turned his back to her. After a few moments Lexa heard him quietly comment, "You're apart of a team now. There should be no secrets among us."

"I didn't realize there were any. I will not make that mistake again."

Adam heard Lexa's footsteps click through the door and down the hall. He sighed. That girl, something about her didn't sit right with him.

After her "talk" with Adam, Lexa didn't stop walking until she had reached the garage. She grabbed a helmet off the rack and sped off, far away from the problems she had created. It was easier to leave things behind.

* * *

Chloe's laughter still rung in Nick's ears as she went to grab her cell phone. The smile was instantly wiped from her face. "What happened? Do you know where she went? Yeah, well thanks for calling Scott, I appreciate it." Chloe flipped her phone closed and sighed, pressing her hand to her forehead.

"What happened?" Nick stood and rushed over to her.

"Lexa's gone," Chloe shook her head. "She took one of the motorcycles and left. Scott and Taylor just noticed."

"She could be anywhere," Nick took her in his arms.

Chloe sighed into his chest. "I should go back."

Nick nodded. "Okay, I'll go look for her a bit."

"You've never met her," Chloe cracked a smile.

"Well, what does she look like?"

"Um, long dark hair, really blue eyes, medium skin. I'd say about 5'10"," Chloe rattled off while picking up all her clothes. "Remember she can go invisible, so you'll have to use your feral eyes."

Nick tossed her the keys to her car and opened the door for her. "I'll walk you out, okay?"

"Okay," Chloe gave him a quick peck on the lips and hurried out the door.

She mumbled angrily to him as they walked out to her car. Chloe looked down, fumbling for her cell when it started ringing.

"Hey Chlo – dark hair, blue eyes, medium skin, tall?" Nick asked.

"Yup," Chloe said without looking up.

"Is that her?" Nick pointed and Chloe followed his finger to her car.

"Lexa," Chloe took off at a run towards the girl.

"I guess so," Nick picked up his pace to catch up to her.

Chloe didn't have any words when she reached Lexa. She scowled at the molecular and gestured at her angrily.

"What?" Lexa looked extremely confused.

"I just got a call from Scott, who told me that you were missing. I was worried!" Chloe shouted.

Lexa looked shocked. "You were worried?"

"Of course! No one knew where you were. You're apart of a team now, you can't just disappear," Chloe continued.

"Chloe," Lexa grabbed her hands, stopping Chloe's rant short. "I'm sorry, I didn't know I would be missed. I had a confrontation with Adam, so I left. But then I saw your car, so I wanted to apologize for accidentally telling Adam about Nick. I didn't know he didn't know."

"It's okay, just don't do that again – the running away thing," Chloe reached out and fingered the girl's dark curls affectionately. "Let's go back. I think you can fit the motorcycle in the back of my SUV. Nick, can you help? Oh Lexa, this is Nick."

"Hi," Lexa waved shyly. "Sorry I didn't make a better first impression."

"It's okay. It's nice to meet you," Nick grinned.

They loaded the motorcycle into the car, Chloe gave Nick a quick kiss goodbye, and then Chloe and Lexa were off.

"So, you said that you and Adam had a confrontation?" Chloe glanced over at the teen.

"Yeah…" Lexa sighed. "It seems we have an instant oil/water feel. He was mad at me for keeping your secret."

"Or maybe because you know more about me than he does," Chloe reasoned.

"I didn't realize how little they knew about you," Lexa commented.

"Yeah, well I have a lot of secrets," Chloe frowned.

"Well, if you don't mind me asking, why are you keeping secrets from your team?" Lexa glanced over at her.

"I'm not. This isn't my team," Chloe replied simply.

Lexa looked at her confused, yet a flicker of understanding was revealed in her eyes.


End file.
